Match Report

We went into this fixture having put in some really decent performances recently without getting the desired results. On so many occasions we had played like winners but finished losers. I know we can match any team in this division and also beat them. We needed to put in the same performance levels but also needed a result to match. So we approached this game knowing that we had the capability of competing with the opposition and hopefully getting a result. We’d also had to cope with the departures of Ricky Stevens and Danny Holmes from the club recently, we wish them well in their new footballing ventures.

There was a very strong wind blowing down the pitch and we played against it in the first half. We seemed to be competing well with the opposition but fell behind to a well struck shot after 15 minutes from 20 yards which flew into the top corner. We played our part in the goal by giving away possession and not closing them down quickly enough. We fought hard and stuck to our task. We found it difficult against the wind and battled hard but couldn’t find an equaliser in the 1st half.

We started the 2nd half in good form and trying to press home our advantage of playing with the wind behind us, Langley were proving tough opposition and still looked dangerous going forward however our defence were coping well. The tireless running of Fryer and Bridges upfront was causing problems for the Langley rearguard and were supported by an efficient midfield engine room quartet which also selfishly was there to back up the defence when needed. However we seemed to be struggling to carve out real quality goal scoring chances.

We were awarded a free kick along our right side about 15 yards into their half. Delaney delivered a nicely flighted cross into the box and Carter rose imperiously, finishing with a thumping header. 1-1 our tails were up and we pressed hard for a winner. Langley seemed to come alive in the last 10 minutes and pressed hard for an equaliser. Burkett made no less than three excellent saves, two of them were very powerfully struck shots. This kept us in the game and kept the scores level and meant that we had stopped our losing streak. It’s not easy being a keeper, when a goal gets conceded sometimes people blame a keeper because they can’t think of any other excuses, when an outfield player scores everyone congratulates the scorer. A good save is just the same as scoring a goal – so George you scored a hat-trick in my book. Well done mate.

However today was a real squad effort and we got what we deserved which was a hard fought point. This week we played well and got something out of the game – it makes such a difference. Now we have to build on this result and continue improving and see how far we can go up the table. Well done lads.